Hibernator the second

My name is Rachel and I'm a scientist who is interested in mental health. I'm bipolar and missed a good chunk of the last couple years on LT because of my mental illness. But with therapy and meds, I'm hoping this year I will be a new person. I'd like to thank all my dedicated supporters last year! You're awesome!

Along with mental illness, I'm also interested in social justice, science, philosophy, and mostly fantasy fiction. I don't know if I'll have time to read 75 books this year or not, so I'm going to have to include picture books, short stories, magazines, and even movies. So this is more of a media thread instead of just a book thread. So book snobs beware!

Media completed January

Media #1: Doctor Who: The Mind Robber (1968) (comments)
Media #2: Doctor Who: The Krotons (1968)(comments)
Media #3 / Book #1 / Mt TBR #1: The New Testament Canon, by Harry Y. Gable(comments)
Media #4 / Book #2 / Mt TBR #2: Fire & Ash, by Jonathan Maberry(comments)
Media #5 / Mt TBR #3: Lesson 1 of The New Testament (The Great Courses, Course Number 656)(comments)
Media #6 / Book #3: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, by Holly Black (comments)

Media completed February

Media #7 / Book #4: Mr. Monk and Philosophy, by D. E. Wittkower(comments)
Media #8: The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (2014)(comments)
Media #9 / Book #5 / Mt TBR #3: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky(comments)
Media #10 / Book #6: The Remarkable Miss Frankenstein, by Minda Webber(comments)
Media #11 / Book #7: I Want my Hat Back, by Jon Klassen(comments)
Media #12 / Book #8: Penguin in Love, by Salina Yoon(comments)
Media #13 / Book #9: Far From the Tree, by Andrew Solomon
Media #14 / Book #10: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor
Media #15 / Book #11: Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
Media #16 / Book #12: The Rogue Knight, by Brandon Mull

Media completed March

Media #17 / Book #13 / Mt TBR #4: The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol, by Nikolai Gogol
Media #18 / Book #14: The Daughter of Highland Hall, by Carrie Turansky
Media #19: Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: does happiness lead to success. Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 803–55.
Media #20: The New Scientist March 7th 2015
Media #21 / Book #15: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!, by Mo Willems
Media #22 / Book #16: Make Way for the Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey
Media #23 / Book #17: The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown
Media #24 / Book #18: Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

I'm currently reading:



Soulless, by Gail Carriger.



For my Western Canon book I'm reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, by anonymous; This is a group read with @aquascum at http://www.librarything.com/topic/188648



I'm listening to Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen, narrated by Juliet Stevenson



The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, by Marcus Borg and N. T. Wright is a book I'm reading in my study of the historical Jesus.



I'm going through The Bipolar II Disorder workbook, by Sephanie McMurrich Roberts in hopes that it will help me recognize what triggers and forebodes an attack of hypomania or depression. The workbook is meant for a chapter every 1 - 2 weeks, so I am also reading through Bipolar Disorder: A guide for patients and families, by Francis Mark Mondimore.



For Lecture 1 Masterpieces of the Imaginative Mind, by Professor Eric S Rabkin, I will be reading a variety of fairy tales. Currently, I am working on The Grey Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang.



For general non-fiction, I'm reading Quiet, by Susan Cain.



For "week 1" of The Science of Happiness at-your-own-pace MOOC, the readings are Chapter 1 and 2 of The How of Happiness, by Sonja Lyubomirsky; Chapter 1 of Born to Be Good, by Dacher Keltner

● Kahneman, D. (1999). Objective happiness. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Well-being: Foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 3-25). New York : Russell Sage Foundation Press.

I'm looking forward to your review of the Borg and Wright book, Rachel!

Sorry that work continues to be such a stressor. Maybe using an app like Time Out to cue relaxation techniques regularly at work might help you get through. I hope you are feeling better now after your sick days.

Rachel's reasons for happiness day 27
So, I accidentally reported happiness for days 26 and 27. But I meant days 25 and 26. So time to start a new thread. :)

On the 27th, I was happy because I got some extra (needed sleep).

Rachel's reasons for happiness day 28

Yesterday I was happy because I got a lot of my book, The Remarkable Miss Frankenstein, read.

Rachel's reasons for happiness day 29

Today I'm happy because I went impulse shopping with my DBT friends Todd and Charity. I bought a cute dress, a cute shirt, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, and Laurence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of Modern Middle East.

Happy new thread!

I'll echo that: Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Rachel!

>4 The_Hibernator: New books are always a good reason for happiness. I am slowly working my way through Lawrence in Arabia. It is a good if dense read.

Happy new thread, Rachel.

Let the happiness continue. :)

Happy new thread, Rachel.

Happy new thread! Dropping a star.

Happy new thread! And I thought Unbroken was a great book.

Rachel, I wish you a lovely weekend.

Hi Rachel! The books sound interesting, and shopping is always fun.

My reason for happiness today is that I'm reading an interesting little cozy mystery and have a cozy weekend planned!

>3 ronincats: Thanks Roni! I'm enjoying the Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright book a lot. They did a good job of complementing each other while still showing off their differences.

As for the stress at work, I DO try to take a time-out every once in a while. This weekend seems to be going pretty well without me, though. :) (I put someone else in charge, and she's taking the job very seriously.)

>5 nittnut: >6 foggidawn: and >7 scaifea: Thanks Jenn, Amber, and Foggi!

>8 Oberon: Hi Erik! I've been wanting to read Lawrence in Arabia for a while now, I'll try to combine it with From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. But it might take me a while to get to them all!

>9 jolerie: >10 Ameise1: >11 Storeetllr: and >12 banjo123: >13 Ameise1: Thanks Valerie, Barbara, Mary, and Rhonda!

>14 karenmarie: Ahhhh, a cozy weekend with a cozy mystery sounds great, Karen!

Rachel's Reason for Happiness Day 30

Got to have coffee with my friend Kari.

>15 The_Hibernator: That is ambitious combo! Good luck!

>17 Oberon: Hi Erik! Yeah, Seven Pillars of Wisdom might be a long haul.

Rachel's reasons for happiness day 31

I got to spend some time with my boyfriend Joel and his kids. We ate pizza, played charades, and watched a little TV.

Rachel's reasons for happiness day 32

I had breakfast with my parents, lunch with Joel and his kids, and finished a book. :) While reading, I got these great pictures:

Monthly Roundup

Books and media completed
Media #1: Doctor Who: The Mind Robber (1968) (comments)
Media #2: Doctor Who: The Krotons (1968) (comments)
Media #3 / Book #1 / Mt TBR #1: The New Testament Canon, by Harry Y. Gable(comments)
Media #4 / Book #2 / Mt TBR #2: Fire & Ash, by Jonathan Maberry(comments)
Media #5 / Mt TBR #3: Lesson 1 of The New Testament (The Great Courses, Course Number 656)(comments)
Media #6 / Book #3: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, by Holly Black (comments)

Books acquired January
1. Rogue Knight, by Brandon Mull - purchased Nookbook (series already started)
2. The Brick Bible New Testament and The Brick Bible Old Testament by Brendan Powell Smith - purchased at Barnes and Noble (on a really good sale)
3. Closure, by Randall Wood - Free Friday Nookbook
4. The Remarkable Miss Frankenstein, by Minda Webber - gift from friend Todd.
5. The How of Happiness, by Sonja Lyubomirsky - purchased at BN.com (for Science of Happiness MOOC)
6. Born to be Good, by Dachner Keltner - purchased at BN.com (for Science of Happiness MOOC)
7. The Compassionate Instinct, by Dachner Keltner - purchased Nookbook (for Science of Happiness MOOC)
8. After the Ending, by Lindsay Fairleigh - free Friday Nookbook
9. Lawrence in Arabia, by Scott Anderson - impulse purchase at Barnes and Noble
10. Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand - impulse purchase at Barnes and Noble

Currently Reading
The Remarkable Miss Frankenstein, by Minda Webber
The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright
The Bipolar II Disorder Workbook, by Stephanie McMurrich Roberts
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
The How of Happiness, by Sonja Lyubomirsky
Lapham's Quarterly - Winter 2015 - Foreigners

Since Amber is posting prom pictures over on her thread, thought I'd throw this post in here, too :)



This is my junior prom (1997) and my senior prom (1998). These were not people I was dating - just friends. And they're both still friends to this day.

Nice prom photos, Rachel!

Happy New Thread, Rachel! Love the prom photos.

Hope you had a nice weekend.

Love the butterflies on the senior prom dress. so pretty.

>15 The_Hibernator: Yay for delegation!

Adorable prom photos!

And I'm enjoying your 'reasons for happiness' - sometimes my whole day can be made by one little thing, if I stop to notice and treasure it.

Wonderful prom photos, Rachel.

Happy new thread, Rachel! I loved both the prom photos and the cat photos, so thanks for sharing. What Lucy says is so true - I am thankful for your shared happy moments because I like seeing what you find and also because it makes me think about what makes me happy each day.

Happy new thread, Rachel. Awesome prom pics and it's great that you are still friends with your "dates".

You never told me you graduated when you were 12. :P

Thanks for sharing prom (and cat) photos with us, they are all great!

Happy new thread, Rachel and super "YAY" for fun, impulse shopping and cozy weekends! I love both. ;-)

>21 The_Hibernator: - Great prom photos, Rachel!

How is Perks of being a Wallflower? I have seen the movie but I have yet to get the book, it is on my to do list somewhere.

Love the prom photos! And I'm still enjoying your reasons for happiness. Your thread always reminds me to look for my own. I'm happy today because, after a couple of weeks of tests, I found out yesterday that I don't need surgery. And I'm thankful for a dog who loves going to the vet even though he gets a shot almost every time he walks through the door.

Are you enjoying Perks of being a Wallflower? I read it a couple years ago, borrowed it from my daughter, and thought it was good. Funny (to me) story. At the time I had just finished (the amazing) Garden of the Evening Mists, so I told my daughter, "I hope this isn't about slave labor camps, I can't read back to back books about slave labor camps." Her reply--"Well, it is about high school."

I didn't really enjoy Perks of Being a Wallflower but I'll be interested to see others views on it.

Me neither, I suffered emotionally throughout my read. But I admit I rated it highly because I thought it was my fault not liking it (typical!). Should re-rate...

I started reading the Feb 9 issue of New Yorker this evening, and there's an article about a texting crisis hotline; is this the organization you've been working for?

Wow. I have a whole week of happiness to share, don't I? haha This week was difficult for me because I was just really, really tired. But I'll try to remember.

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness day 33 (Monday)

On this day I was happy because I got to have a fancy salad with my DBT friend Todd.

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness day 34 (Tuesday)

On this day I was happy because I made it safely through the "snowstorm." Oh, and because I made it safely through the adventure with the gunman and the helicopters and the police and bombsquad hanging out behind the shed at my workplace. That was exciting. Ended poorly with gunman, unfortunately. :(

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness day 35 (Wednesday)

On this day I hired a new employee who seems like she's actually going to be not only good but reliable. Here's to hoping! I also went out to dinner with my parents! :)

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness day 36 (Thursday)

On this day I was happy because I got to have a nice dinner with my DBT friends Todd and Charity.

Rachel's reasons for happiness day 37 (Friday)

On this day I was happy because I got to go shopping and have a nice sushi dinner with my friend Todd. I bought some pants for work and some nice knee-high boots.

Rachel's reasons for happiness day 38 (Saturday)

On this day I was happy because I got to spend time with my boyfriend Joel. :)

Rachel's reasons for happiness day 39 (Sunday)

And finally, today I'm happy because I went to a movie with my nephew Johnny. We saw The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. :)

Thanks Darryl, Mark, Jenn, Morphy, Lucy, Barbara, Valerie, Stephen, Nathalie, and Lori! I'm glad my new thread, prom photos, and happy moments have brought a smile to your faces. :)

>30 Ape: Stephen, yes, I was a miracle child. I looked remarkably like a rather nerdy 18-year-old when I graduated, despite being 12.

>33 xymon81: xymon, I'm enjoying the book so far. There are some difficult moments in it, of course, but as long as I know what I'm getting in to I can bully through the hard times. I think books like this need to be written. And this one is well-written and quite interesting so far. Even if the protagonist is a bit too innocent for his own good. I haven't seen the movie yet - waiting to finish the book.

>34 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie! Yay for not needing surgery. That's great news. Thanks for sharing! :)

>35 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. That's good - it IS about high school. :) I liked Garden of the Evening Mists, but it was definitely a difficult topic. Perks of Being a Wallflower is the same way, just in a more innocent way. I guess that makes Perks the harder read for me.

>36 lunacat: Hi Jenny! Too bad you didn't like Perks. Was it the difficult topic or style/characters that failed to impress?

>37 Deern: That's interesting Nathalie. I rate books higher (or lower) sometimes if I feel that they would be more appealing or less appealing to the "average" book-connoisseur. Not because I care what people think of my ratings, but because I want to give a rating that would be helpful to most people. But I'm trying to get away from that habit now.

>38 qebo: Thanks for the heads-up Katherine! I'll be sure to read it. From a glance-through, it looks like our textline isn't even mentioned in the article, despite the fact that it was the first of its kind. The article is about the textline in New York. The article says that they are the only national textline - which is believable. Most crisis hotlines are funded by states and counties, so they are limited to area. However, we get more people from outside Minnesota than we get from inside Minnesota at our hotline, so it's national even if it's not supposed to be. :) I'm glad the idea is taking off, there are apparently several textlines available now. It's good for teens.

Weekly Update

Personal: This was a sleepy week for me. Not sure what hit me but I didn't get much of anything read. All good though, there's always next week.

Media: I watched Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and acquired OPEN: How we'll work, live and learn in the future as a free NookBook.

I have been feeling sleepy and out of sorts this week... must be the weather. Glad to see the happy days are continuing!

Good on you for getting those knee hight boots, Rachel. They are the hardest thing for me to find for some reason. There is always one part that doesn't quite fit the way I want it to........ :)

Media #7 / Book #4: Mr. Monk and Philosophy, by D. E. Wittkower

Reason for reading: I was interested in trying out the Popular Culture and Philosophy books that are so hot these days. This seemed like a good place to start since I loved the TV show. :)

Review: This was a book of essays which described the philosophical content of the TV show Monk from an array of perspectives. There was a lot of comparisons with Sisyphus and, interestingly, Dr. House (from the TV show House). My favorite essay was on the phenomenology of Monk. It described how Monk's skills at seeing things as they are instead of placing too much personal interpretation on the data was both a blessing and a curse. This was a really fun read, and it makes me curious to rewatch some of the episodes, or maybe read some of the Monk books.

Has anybody here read any of the Monk books?

Media #8: The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Reason for watching: Went to this with my nephew - RIGHT before it trickles out of the theaters altogether. :)

Review: I don't think there was a drop of plotline from this movie that was in the book - though admittedly I read the book a long, long time ago. That said, it was a pretty good ending to a pretty good trilogy of movies. I think if it weren't The Hobbit, I wouldn't have been as interested in the trilogy, though. I'm a fan of movies that end. :p So, I guess what I'm saying is that I enjoyed the movie, but I have mixed feelings about it.

>45 The_Hibernator: I just saw it myself as well.It has the basics down but there is alot of added plotlines. I enjoyed it considerably.

>19 The_Hibernator: Those are great photos! Adorable!

>21 The_Hibernator: You had incredibly tall prom dates! Cute photos!

>39 The_Hibernator: I'm glad you made it through day 34 unscathed. Wow!

>42 lkernagh: Hi Lori! Yeah, I think it's easy to have sleepy weeks during the winter. I had another one this week, and unfortunately don't even remember what made me happy this week. So I'm going to have to start over today. But that's ok, right?

>43 jolerie: Thanks Valerie! I should take a picture of them for everyone. They are certainly me.

>46 xymon81: I have the audiobook version of The Hobbit, and I will rewatch the movies afterwards. Perhaps if I remember the plot better I can better appreciate the movies. :) I read that book more than 20 years ago, after all.

>47 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! Thank for the compliments! Yes, both my prom dates were very tall. They were also best friends and were always arguing who was the taller. Personally, I think the darker guy (from my senior year) is taller, he just slouches more. I think they are both 6'4".

Hi everyone! I had another sleepy week in which I didn't get online or even get much reading. I was also "physically" sick, which made things even more difficult. I'm afraid the week is very blurry, and I don't remember enough about the week to say what made me happy each day. So I'm going to start over thus:

Rachel's Reasons for happiness Feb 14

On Valentine's day, I got to meet with my friends eeblue and morphy for our real life book club, at which we discussed Perks of being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky. We all enjoyed the book tremendously (review upcoming!)

Rachel's Reasons for happiness Feb 15

Today I am thankful for the edX course The Science of Happiness, and for some new books, and for my bed.

Hi Rachel! The Mr. Monk and Philosophy book sounds interesting. I'll have to keep an eye out for it. I love Monk! I've listened to the audio version of the first two Monk novels. They're written from Natalie's perspective. I didn't notice any major inconsistencies between the books and the show.

Media #9 / Book #5 / Mt TBR #3: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky; Narrated by Noah Galvin

Reason for reading: This was the February real life book club choice.

Summary: Due to stress from his up-coming freshman year in high school, Charlie begins writing letters to a person of unspecified gender and age because "she said" this person was a good listener and doesn't sleep with people at parties just because they can. What unfolds is a story of a naive young boy who learns to date and make friends; explore sexuality, drugs, and alcohol; and generally becomes self-aware during his freshman year in high school.

Review: Contemporary high school books are generally difficult to read because of difficult topics; however, this book was a smooth, easy read despite its dark content. Charlie's voice seemed a bit naive throughout the book, but I think this was purposefully written. Regardless of, or perhaps because of, Charlie's naivete, he was a sweet and charming character, and I truly cared about him by the end of the book.

I've heard great things about the movie, and am eager to see it.

Media #10 / Book #6: The Remarkable Miss Frankenstein, by Minda Webber

Reason for reading: This was a gift from my friend Todd. Not my normal type of book, but it was enjoyable if only because it was an unexpected and sweet gift.

Summary: Clair Frankenstein has a family legacy to live up to - all Frankensteins are published scientifically (well, besides that great uncle who thinks he's a ghost). And THIS Frankenstein plans on winning the Discovery of the Decade award by proving that vampires and werewolves existed. Humorously, her methods of discovery are anything but scientific, and they get her in a lot of trouble - including trouble in love.

Review: This was a sweet and funny book filled with absurdism and anachronism. I enjoyed following Clair through her antics-of-scientific-discovery, and kept wondering what she'd do next. The romance was playful and passionate at the same time. Quite a nice taste of the paranormal romance genre.

Media #11 / Book #7: I Want my Hat Back, by Jon Klassen

Hilarious picture book about the consequences of stealing and lying.



Media #12 / Book #8: Penguin in Love, by Salina Yoon

A cute romantic picture book about penguins finding love through a shared interest in knitting.

>53 The_Hibernator: I love I want my hat back! One of my absolute favourites.

Weekly Update

Books: This week I completed 4 books - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky and narrated by Noah Galvin; The Remarkable Miss Frankenstein, by Minda Webber; I want my Hat Back, by Jon Klassen; and Penguin in Love, by Salina Yoon.

I acquired:

Weekly update

Me: This was a really difficult week for me. First of all, I was sick on Tuesday. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I imagine it had more to do with mental health than with physical health. Regardless, I was at work sitting at my desk, and then I got up to do something and could barely move. It reminded me of a time that I was so depressed that I didn't even have the energy to reach out for the glass of water in front of me. I hope that I am not getting to THAT point again. Anyway, I went home and slept it off and felt a little better the next day.

The rest of the week was stressful too. I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday very concerned about my friend from DBT who had been kicked out of our group for disobeying the rules. He was acting very erratic, paranoid, and he was jacked up on a variety of drugs and alcohol. I was seriously concerned for his safety during these days, and that was a huge drag on my own mental health. Luckily, things seem to have calmed down for him now, and he'll be starting a new group soon.

Valentine's day was a bit of a drag. I was feeling really depressed again - pretty similarly to the physical exhaustion I felt on Tuesday. My boyfriend, Joel, wanted to spend the evening at an AA Valentine's day party, which I'd told him a long time before I wasn't interested in attending and would rather do something else. He insisted that he told me a long time ago that he wanted to go, and that seemed to trump my telling him I didn't want to go. So he went, and I stayed home and slept. I would have liked to see his kids - it WAS his weekend - but he opted for the AA party instead of seeing his kids, too. That was really off-putting. I haven't called him all day today because I'm not very happy with him, and he hasn't called me - probably for the same reason. When I DO talk to him, I'll have to have yet another talk about how he needs to spend more time with me and his kids. I hate to be a nag. But if things don't change soon - and established patterns since Christmas say they won't, despite my pleading - then we'll have to break up. :( I hope it won't come to that, but I deserve more than he's giving me right now.

Weekly update

DBT

This week we learned the distress tolerance skills IMPROVE the moment.

Imagery: By imaging peaceful places - in as much detail as possible - we can distract ourselves from whatever is distressing us. The idea is that if we use a lot of details, then we will be using up brain-power that would otherwise be used to ruminate on negative thoughts.

Meaning: Find the silver lining in your bad situation. Like right now, I hate my job, but I'm certainly learning a lot of management skills. They might come in handy later in my career.

Prayer: I guess this is self-explanatory. Though you don't have to pray to a higher power, you can also meditate upon the universe or something vast and larger-than-life.

Relaxation: Use some relaxation technique - like deep breathing, massage, or yoga - to bring that muscle tension down.

One Thing at a Time: Stop all that multitasking if you're feeling overwhelmed. Just do one thing at a time. Then move on to the next.

Vacation: Sometimes you need to get away from whatever it is that's distressing you.

Encouragement: Say encouraging things to yourself. Like "I did a really good job finishing this weekly update despite feeling tired and wanting to do something else. And now I'm going to do a really good job of visiting everyone's threads so that you all don't forget I exist. That, and it's fun seeing what everyone else is doing, even if it seems a daunting task from the outside."

Sorry it's been such a rough week, Rachel!! {{{{Rachel}}}}

Oh sorry you had such a difficult week, Rachel. I think in part, at least for me, a long winter ( where I live we get a lot of rain and overcast days )can get to most anyone. Take care!

Rachel, I hope you never feel forgotten here. It's become a big place, but you know how you cherish every friend even if you can't visit their thread as you'd like to>>>>>we feel the same about you!
I hope your new week brings some good energy. I really, really like the weekly post in >57 The_Hibernator:. I would like to improve my own distress tolerance in some of those ways!
I'm also interested to see what you have to say about the Borg/Wright. My f2f book group is supposed to be reading it for a discussion, but we have sort of let the ball drop. I had started it and thought it was good. Maybe you'll encourage me to get back to it!
Oh dear. We're expecting some winter weather tomorrow night and through the day Tuesday. Everything here grinds to a halt since it happens so infrequently. I'm just hoping it's not ice, but that's how it's looking. *sigh*

>54 evilmoose: Hi Megan. Will certainly be one of mine, too!

>58 ronincats: Thanks for the hugs Roni!

>59 vancouverdeb: Yeah, we have a long winter here in MN, too, but it's more icy and COLD than rainy and overcast. Still, the effect is the same, isn't it? Dark and dreary. But the warmth will come out again some day.

>60 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy (I always want to call you Lizzie!). I certainly do cherish all of my dear friends here on LT. And I understand that it's sometimes hard to get out to everyone's threads regularly AND comment. I'm a big lurker myself.

I'm enjoying the Borg / Wright book quite a bit!

Ah well - I'm proof that you can get kicked out of DBT and go on .... the drugs and alcohol are worrying, though. I was ejected for other reasons but for me it was court-mandated so was a mess. I finished up online.

>57 The_Hibernator: I like the idea of IMPROVE. Sounds useful. I am here to give you props for getting around the threads and saying nice things. :) I noticed.

Hi Rachel. Found your thread and starred it! I like the way you are open about your mental health.

Please excuse my English. I'm Dutch and although I'm usually doing fine with translations and writing in English, a mistake may happen.

Sending you lots of {{{{hugs}}}} for this week and hope it's going to be much better!

The imagery technique sadly never worked for me. But the "finding a meaning" is something I'm almost enjoying now. It can be quite tricky, but I always find something, and the world immediately looks better. It might just take a while.

Sorry for the rough week. I hope things get better soon. And I hope that either Joel learns to value you, or you find another guy who really does.

I have a bit of a dysfunctional work-place myself, and am trying to only worry about the things that are my business, and that I can maybe change. Otherwise my mantra is "Not my circus, not my monkeys." Then I get to visualize the office overrun by circus monkeys, which is entertaining at any rate.

>56 The_Hibernator: he opted for the AA party instead of seeing his kids, too
Well, at least you know it wasn’t about you. That must be some party.

hiya! Thanks for popping by my thread. I am dropping down a star so I can now keep up with your thread also :-)

I noticed you bought Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I loved this novel and hope you like it too :-)

Rachel, I'm hoping this will be a better week for you. I really appreciate the uplifting happy thoughts for each day. It makes my day to come here and read them.

>62 streamsong: Hi Janet! I'm glad you were able to finish up your DBT online. That's a really good option, and I wish I'd been aware of it. On the other hand, it's nice meeting new friends from group. The internet would just feed my introverted nature.

>63 nittnut: Thanks for stopping by Jenn! And thanks for noticing my thread hopping...I'm kinda proud of myself for commenting on so many threads yesterday.

>64 connie53: Hi Connie! Welcome to my thread. Yes, I think it is important to be open about mental illness because the more open people are the less stigmatized it will become. And when it is less stigmatized, people will be more willing to seek out help when they need it. Mental health advocacy is a passion of mine.

>65 Deern: Thanks for the hugs Nathalie! Too bad imagery doesn't work for you - it's a specialty of mine. At least it used to be. I'm wondering if my meds have reduced my creativity a bit, though. Finding meaning is useful to me, but I generally have a hard time finding meaning in the present. It's usually later on, after I've accepted the pain that I find meaning. Perhaps that means I should use Everyday Acceptance and Radical Acceptance more often.

>66 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda! I hope Joel starts to value me more, as well. He's really a great guy, he just needs to get more balance in his life. AA - important. Rachel - important. Kids - uber important. He'll figure it out, hopefully.

Unfortunately at my workplace I'm a manager, so it IS my circus and they ARE my monkeys. Sigh. But soon. Soon I will find another job, right? But at least I can still visualize my workplace overrun by monkeys, even if they are mine. ;)

>67 qebo: Hi Katherine! Haha! Yeah, it must have been quite the party. His excuse in the end was "I want to make friends, but I didn't do any dancing."

>68 SapphiredDragon: Hi Nikki! Yeah, I just started Daughter of Smoke and Bone today, and so far I'm enjoying it.

>69 Donna828: Thanks Donna! The happy thoughts kinda got tangled up in my sleepy mess the last couple of weeks, but I'm going to try to start them every day again. I decided that it's better to continue from today and accept that I missed a few than to give up altogether just because I didn't meet the goal of every day - though that alternative actually seemed real for a moment. Luckily, my "wise mind" kicked in.

Rachel's reasons for happiness - Feb 16

I asked my mom why I was happy today and she answered "because today is here."

But tomorrow it won't be here, it'll be there! Eek! (Stephen's reasons for being frightened of everything)

Also, *Great big huge giant hugs*

Awwww! Thanks Stephen!

So I'm at a cross-roads in my evening. Shall I read, or shall I start watching Star Trek? And if I watch Star Trek, should I do so in chronological order or in production order?

I think you should watch them in production order...first. Then chronological order the 2nd time. Then you should do the same with the books. :P

Wow...your dedication to this cause never fails to amaze, Stephen.

ETA: Should I read all the Doctor Who books, too?

I just like to be helpful. :)

*Ties Rachel's shoestrings together*

Aren't you the gentleman *inadvertently falls into Stephen's arms*

I love when a plan comes together!

Wait, this wasn't the plan, now what do I do? Eeek! Girl Cooties!

*kisses kisses kisses*

Well, that completes my knight.

>71 The_Hibernator: through >81 Ape: Well that exchange made my evening happier. :-)

Well, I broke down and bought myself another fitbit. I had one that hooked on to my pants-pocket, but it kept falling off and eventually was lost forever. I'm hoping this wrist one will last a bit longer because I really enjoyed collecting the data from the other one. :)

ETA: I'm a bit of a data junkie.

>84 The_Hibernator: A LibraryThing 75er is a bit of a data junkie!? *reels in shock and horror* *continues updating one of her many spreadsheets to track important information* :)

Okay, What does this fitbit do? Is it something like a watch?

*Hugs* Sorry you been having a rough time, Rachel. Hope things brighten up for you soon!

My husband just got into wearing a tracking band as well just so he can see how his sleep pattern varies from night to night. I think the collecting data part fascinating as well. It helps with accountability I think.

I went boot shopping this weekend and no luck :(

Oh Rachel, I'm so sorry to hear that you had such a rough week. I hope it's getting better soon.

>83 qebo: Hi Katherine! :)

>85 evilmoose: Hi Megan! :)

>86 connie53: Hi Connie! A fitbit keeps track of how many steps/miles you've walked and calculates the number of calories you've burned in a day. It also records your sleep patterns by keeping track of how much you're moving while asleep. In addition, you can add information to the app on your phone/computer such as your blood pressure, weight, what you've eaten (it has an automatic calorie counter that even scans barcodes, to save you the time of figuring out how many calories you've eaten), water you've drank, and other exercise. You can print out lovely graphs of your progress.

>87 jolerie: Hi Valerie. Yeah, I enjoyed the sleep tracking feature of my old Fitbit as well. It's a lot of fun.

>88 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! Actually, I had to come home from work a bit early today because I'm still feeling unexplainably exhausted by simply moving around. If this continues I will have difficulty holding down a full-time job.

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness Feb 17th

Today I got a letter from my cousin Steve. :)

>89 The_Hibernator:. Thanks for the explanation, Rachel. We have them over here too. I'm just not sure what they are called in Dutch.

I did some googling: And it's called a 'Stappenteller' = Step counter. And to my astonishment there is even a fitbit flex in the Netherlands. I never knew about that. Never to old to learn new things.

>91 connie53: Stappenteller. I love it. That's what I'm going to name my Fitbit. :)

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness Feb 18th

I got to have sushi dinner with my sister and nephews. I also found out that I can use chopsticks with my left hand.

Stopping by with {{{Hugs}}} for you, Rachel, and hopes that your week is better.

>92 The_Hibernator: Happy to make you happy!

Hi, Rachel! I have I Want My Hat Back requested from the library -- looks great! I love reading these modern "easy" books. (And now I'll sound really old) When I was a kid, we didn't have these wonderful, beautiful, colorful books. I must make up for this lack, NOW! hehe

Karen O.

>93 The_Hibernator: I'm impressed! I have trouble using chopsticks with my right hand!

>94 lkernagh: Thanks Lori! I hope so too. The hugs mean a lot. :)

>95 connie53: Everyone's happy then!

>96 klobrien2: I hope you enjoy I want my Hat Back Karen!

>97 cbl_tn: :) Hi Carrie! I was trying to show my nephew how to hold the chopsticks, and then I remembered that he was left handed. So I showed him with my left hand instead, and to my shock I was actually able to use them.

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness February 19th

I'm happy that today was a peaceful day, and that I get to spend the evening reading.

That's a very good reason for being happy, Rachel. I hope you did manage a lot of reading. Hugs

Thank Barbara! I got a good amount of reading done. Hopefully tonight, too!

Rachel's Reasons to be Happy Feb 20th

Today I'm feeling happy because it's Friday - and a warmer Friday at that! It's nice to see the snow melting even if it's just for a moment.

I've listened to a few lectures from "week 1" of The Science of Happiness at-your-own-pace MOOC,

Philosophical and Spiritual views on happiness:

* Confucianism: According to Wikipedia, Ren is the "Confucian virtue denoting the good feeling a virtuous human experiences when being altruistic." This conveys a sense of reverence towards others. A person of Ren brings the good of others to completion but does not bring the bad in others to completion.

* Buddhism: If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. And if you want to be happy, practice compassion - Dali Lama.

* Taoism: happiness is paradoxical. Our rational mind might not grasp the meaning of life. "When man is born he is tender and weak. At death he is stiff and hard. All things, as well as the grass and the trees, tender and subtle while alive, when dead, withered and dried. Therefore, the tender and the weak are the companions of life and the stiff and the hard are companions of death." - Tao Te Ching

* Aristotle: The principle of moderation - Anyone can become angry. That's easy. But to be angry at the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose and the right way that's not within everybody's power.

* Hedonistic view of happiness: happiness is found in pleasure and sensation. Happiness is the sum of all sensory pleasures and the absences of pain.

* Utilitarianism: happiness is found in your actions that bring about the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. That's what Thomas Jefferson meant when he wrote about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

* Hinduism: happiness is found from the freedom of desire, and through yoga (physical postures)

* Current Western Mindset: achievement, freedom, and self-gratification

* Current Eastern Mindset: relational, community, duty.

Questions to ask yourself. My answers are below, what are yours?

How do you define happiness?



Happiness is a feeling of pleasure which can be brought on by perceived life achievement, kindnesses towards others, or a release of desire of the unattainable or out-of-reach (among other things).

On what do you base that definition?

That definition is based upon my own feelings of what would make me happy.

Does it stem from your first-hand experience of what makes you happy, or from your general observations about what you think constitutes happiness for most people?

I do not know what makes other people happy. Perhaps I should explore that concept and I, myself, would be more happy.

Media #13 / Book #9: Far From the Tree, by Andrew Solomon

Reason for reading: This was the winner of the 2014 Wellcome Book Prize which is awarded to a book which best brings medicine to popular culture.

Summary: Solomon's thesis is that there are horizontal and vertical identities. Vertical identities are those that generally don't change from parent to child - like race, religion, and ethnicity. Parents as well as outsiders are generally comfortable with children staying within these vertical boundaries. But when children exit these boundaries, everybody becomes a little uncomfy. Horizontal identities is one way to cross out of the vertical boundary. A horizontal identity is one in which the child conforms to a cultural identity which differs from that of the parent - such as mental illness, deafness, LGBTQ, Transexuality, Autism, Down Sydrome, etc. Several of these, such as LGBTQ and deafness have strongly developed communities of people with the related identities. Often, the parents have to learn to become a member-from-the-outside of these communities in order to support their children.

Review: Amazing book. There were some parts that were difficult to read - such as the ones about children of rape victims and crime - but those sections were also very poignant. Solomon did a fantastic job of covering a large variety of topics while keeping to the same thesis, and not sounding repetitive. It's possible the book could have been shortened a bit if there were fewer individual interviews, but I liked having so many examples. It shows that no two individuals have the same story. One criticism I have (especially of dwarfism, deafness, and Autism) the people interviewed were more often than not exceptional members of the community who had resources (great intelligence/resourcefulness, money, education) than the average person would have. So stories in those sections seemed a bit skewed.

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness February 21st

Today I'm happy that I got to spend the morning reading and the evening with my boyfriend Joel.

Weekly update

Media

Completed:



Acquired:



This was the Free Friday Nookbook of the week.

I also subscribed to New Scientist and The Week today, so hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in the time to read them. They are both very useful for my attempt to keep up to date on what's going on in the world - something I've been doing a terrible job of lately.

Weekly Update

Personal

This week was much better than the last. Although I was still pretty tired all week long, things were pretty calm. In fact, there's really no news about to share! :)

DBT

This week in DBT we learned about applying formal pros and cons lists to difficult, or even everyday, decisions.

We learned about grounding ourselves - a practice in which we remind ourselves of the here-and-now by being aware of our surroundings. We can list off what we're sensing in each of the five senses, be mindful of what our body is touching (e.g. the ground), or how we are breathing.

We also learned the difference between Radical Acceptance (in which you accept things that have a huge impact on you - like the death of a parent or that you have lost your job) vs. Everyday Acceptance (such as spilling your lunch all over the microwave.) Of course, sometimes everyday problems seem bad enough that they require Radical Acceptance, but we have to accept that something has happened that can't be changed before we can use any other skills to help cope with the problem.

Notes from another lecture from "week 1" of The Science of Happiness at-your-own-pace MOOC:

How Scientists define and measure happiness

Danny Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner, suggests four different levels of analysis.
1. Most general level – when I say I’m happy, I’m telling you what my well-being is, how my life is going: overall my life is going pretty well.
2. I could be referring to is a trait: that I’m just kind of an enthusiastic person, or I have a particular genetic profile that makes me happy.
3. I could be referring to a specific emotion that I’m feeling in the moment. So I might be thinking about "I feel reverence and gratitude right now."
4. I could be referring to a sensation, kind of a sensory experience. So if I say I’m happy to somebody’s query, I might be really saying that "wow this sun at this moment in time really feels good on my skin."

Methods of Studying Happiness (Personally I imagine these happening in order of listing below so that sufficient variables may first be identified, and then they can be studied in the last step.)
* Observation and experience sampling of people
* Cross-sectional surveys of happy people
* Longitudinal studies of what makes people happy
* Experimental studies comparing the effects of a variable versus control conditions

But how do we measure how happy someone is??!
* Ask people how satisfied they are with their life
* Scale of negative and positive emotions that person feels in daily life
* Matt Killingsworth approach - text someone on their phone and ask "What are you doing? How happy are you right now?"
* Behavioral indicators of happiness like body language, facial expression
* Quantifying dopamine signaling

Question: What do you like, or dislike, about how scientists have chosen to define and measure happiness? What feels inaccurate, imprecise, or even culturally biased? What feels like it's missing?

Well, happiness is not only a difficult concept to define, it's a difficult phenomenon to measure. There's no way to do it perfectly. With this in mind, I think if someone were very thorough in quantifying both biological aspects (like dopamine) and psychological aspects provided by the subject of the experiment/survey then they're doing the best they can do.

Interesting definitions of happiness, Rachel.

I've been learning and thinking actually about Happiness versus Joy and how we perceive the two. Happiness being something that changes with circumstances versus joy being something that resonates from within and shouldn't fluctuate with our environment. Definitely trying to work on cultivating joy in my life and your happiness project is a source of inspiration to me. :D

Far from the Tree sounds like an interesting read. Hope you've been doing well!

Far from the Tree sounds interesting. I wouldn't have thought Autism or Downs Syndrome to be identified as a cultural community in the same way as the Deaf community or LGBT community. I am curious if the reasoning behind that was explained?

Great review of Far from the Tree, Rachel. I have it on my Kindle, and I'll probably read it on holiday in the spring or summer.

I'm glad that this week was a good one for you, and I hope that next week is an even better one!

>104 The_Hibernator: You've bumped Far from the Tree up the list...
>108 The_Hibernator: That's this Daniel Kahneman? Yeah, the different levels are an issue.

>109 jolerie: Hi Valerie! That's a really important distinction between joy and happiness. I'm happy you shared it, because I hadn't really thought about it before. Joy is more spiritual and happiness is more situational. Have you read any good books that discusses this matter further?

>110 nittnut: He did discuss that issue, Jenn. Some of the conditions he writes about have much stronger horizontal communities than others. For instance, there's barely any horizontal community for children of rape victims - most of what exists is online support groups, and those are mainly for the parents and not the children. The autistic horizontal community is actually growing quite a bit, according to Solomon. It has the backing of several high-functioning people with autism like Temple Grandin. There are also group homes (for moderate functioning people with autism or Downs Syndrome) where adults with similar issues can be grouped together and form a community.

>111 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! And you have a good weekend too.

>112 qebo: Hi Katherine! I hope you, too, enjoy Far From the Tree whenever you get to it. It's a tome, but certainly worth the effort. Yes, that is the same Daniel Kahneman.

Notes from another lecture from "week 1" of The Science of Happiness at-your-own-pace MOOC:

Misconceptions about happiness

Happiness does NOT mean

* having all your personal needs met
* always feeling satisfied with life
* feeling pleasure all of the time
* never feeling negative emotions

Seeking out happiness or pride in excess can be unhealthy both mentally and socially
There is not a one-size-fits-all prescription for happiness

Question: How might our misconceptions about happiness sometimes prevent us from actually being happy?

While reading an assigned essay for this MOOC, I had a revelation that seems intuitive, but that I had either forgotten or never discovered: There will be pain. There's going to be pain, there's going to be things that don't go my way, but that doesn't have to define my happiness. I can define my happiness in two ways: long-term and short-term. My short-term happiness might be affected by the fact that I don't like my job, but do I have to be unhappy when I'm not at work (or applying endlessly and "uselessly" to jobs that would be more attractive)? No, I can be happy right now while I'm typing this up. And long term, this problem is temporary, and I believe over my entire life-time, I have had a happy life. There is very little that I would want to change in my past...as far as choices I've made go. There are things I wish didn't happen to me, but I'm proud and happy with most choices I have made in my life. And that's something to be happy about.

Therefore, today I have radically accepted "There will be pain." And it makes me feel a lot better.

Notes from another lecture from "week 1" of The Science of Happiness at-your-own-pace MOOC:

Benefits of being happy

* According to scientific studies happy people

* make more money and are more productive at work
* are more creative
* are better leaders and negotiators

* According to long-term studies in which participants are asked today whether they're happy, and are then followed for years, happy people are

* more likely to get married
* have fulfilling marriages
* have more friends
* are more philanthropic
* cope better with stress and trauma
* are more resilient
* have stronger immune systems
* live longer

Question: What concrete evidence would convince you that happiness is worth pursuing--that it could lead to a more successful career, a more satisfying marriage, a longer life? What other evidence would you need?

I sought happiness before anyone suggested that there was scientific evidence of a more successful career, more satisfying marriage, and a longer life. All of the things listed above sound great to me. Bring them on! But I sought happiness mainly because I feel I've been too focused on the stress in my life lately, and I think life would be simpler if I were happy.

>113 The_Hibernator: That makes sense. I was wondering how he would identify the community. :)

Loving your thoughts on happiness. My dad used to always tell me that happiness is a choice. Leaving aside the complications of clinical depression and things we have no control over, I totally agree with what you say - that just because our circumstances are not ideal, it doesn't have to determine our happiness. I prefer happiness, and some days it is more work to feel happy, but that's what I prefer. :) Life is much simpler if we are happy.

Thanks Jen! Glad someone is enjoying my posts on happiness! They're as much for my own benefit (so that I remember and process what I learned) but I like to share it with like-minded crowds. :)

Rachel's reasons for happiness February 22nd

Today I'm happy because I had a productive weekend in which I got a lot of tasks and errands done. I'm proud of myself for the amount of reading I managed. And I'm thankful for my fellow volunteers and staff members at the crisis text center.

I like your reasons for happiness, Rachel and should spend a few more minutes daily counting my own blessings.

Yay for your productive weekend. xx

Hi Rachel, I'll return later today or maybe tomorrow and read all the posts on the concepts on happiness again very slowly. I'm with Valerie in the differentiation of happiness and joy (and glad she wrote it because I was thinking in German of course and struggling with finding the English equivalents that really have the same meaning...). I am no longer looking for happiness, when it comes along unexpected in a moment it's fine. It's more joy and contentedness I'm after because that's something I can produce myself. And I am trying to learn not to expect others to "make me happy". How should they do that (constantly)?

So much to think about... Anyway: great that you had such a productive weekend and all the best for the new super-fresh yet to be discovered week!

Hey Rachel! I answered your question on my thread but I'll post it here as well for consistency sake. :)

I can't think of a specific book I've read about the subject but it has come up often in some the past devotions that I've done. I'll scan my bookshelves to see if anything comes up there. As well I think your happiness project is great. Call it joy, happiness or something else, what matters is you are focusing on positive things and that is awesome!

ETA: I saw The Happiness Project on my TBR mountain, but I haven't actually read it yet so can't say if it's good or not, but it made me think of you!

Rachel, just got back from a visit with friends in Florida. Their daughter is in the beginning stages of the DBT Program. I'm so glad I knew a little about it so I could tell them about how it had helped my "on-line" friend! I love your thoughts and questions about happiness. I also like that Valerie mentioned that joy goes even deeper. Perhaps when Happiness becomes a habit, Joy will become a "happy" byproduct. I like the idea that joy can be felt even during the rough patches of life. The best book(s) on joy can be found in the New Testament!

>119 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul! Good to see you!

>120 Deern: Hi Nathalie! Yes, the more I think about the joy/happiness distinction the more I see that joy is the more productive one to seek. However, I will continue with my happiness journey this year and see where it leads me. If it becomes a quest for joy, so be it. :)

>121 jolerie: Hi Valerie! Thanks for looking! I've heard of The Happiness Project, let me know what you think of it when you've read it. I agree that right now I shouldn't get caught up in semantics...it's only the beginning of my journey. Recognizing the difference between joy, happiness, and life meaning is good, but I don't know if I'm in a good place in my journey to try to seek them individually.

>122 Donna828: Hi Donna! Glad to hear that my notes on DBT gave you some good conversation with your friends. :) Ha! You're right about the New Testament, of course, but I'm already studying that. ;)

Rachel's Reasons for happiness February 23rd

Today I'm happy because I had a nice Olive Garden dinner with my friend Charity, things went well at work, and I got my new Fitbit Charge in the mail today.

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness February 24th

Today I'm happy that I've had another really good day mood-wise and that I got a new book in the mail. Daughter of Highland Hall, by Carrie Turansky.

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness February 25th

Yesterday I fainted during a meeting, and was sent home early. I'm happy that everyone there was so caring, and that I got to get a full day of rest AND got to finish an audiobook while lying in bed.

Oh Rachel, I hope you feel better today. Glad there were caring people around you. Hugs xx

I'm sorry to hear about your fainting spell yesterday, Rachel. Are you feeling better today?

>127 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara!

>128 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl! I decided to stay home from work today, as well, because yesterday got worse before it got better. Today I'm more awake and sitting up, so I think I'll be fine soon. :) I'm not used to fainting it was a surprise.

>129 The_Hibernator: I'm glad to hear that, Rachel. Assuming that your fainting episode was due to vasovagal syncope I'd cautiously advise you to drink plenty of liquids and eat salt rich foods today.

Oh no! I'm glad you were able to stay home and get better. Hope you feel better soon, Rachel.

>130 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl! I wasn't very hungry yesterday, but I tried to eat as well as I could, and got lots of salt and water. Today I'm actually feeling much better head-wise, but the illness has settled in my GI. Go figure. Too much water, perhaps? ;)

>131 jolerie: Don't worry Valerie! I have stayed home Wed, Thurs, and today. It feels good to rest. And today I have enough energy to sit up and read a lot more, instead of just lying pathetically in bed and listening to audiobooks. :)

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness February 26th

Yesterday I went to my DBT class even though I hadn't been to work - figured it would be a good way to determine if I was well enough to work the next morning. I decided not to work the next morning, but I'm happy that class went as well as it did, and we had socialization with food and we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

I'm glad you're feeling better! Although there's no such thing as "lying pathetically in bed and listening to audiobooks". My definition of "lying pathetically in bed" is watching reality TV . ;-)

Rachel, good job being chipper when sick! I am glad you are feeling better, but please do take care.

It sounds your body really needed the rest after some stressful weeks. So glad you're feeling better.

Hmpf... while posting this I'm lying on the couch where for whatever reason I'm spending my nights nowadays and reality TV is running (Dinner Date UK)... But I have an excuse: it's in English or Italian, whatever I chose, so I can excuse it as advanced language studies, right?? :))

Weekly Update

Completed



Acquired



I've decided to make an attempt at slogging through The Western Canon (which I think is a better list than 1001 Books you Must Read Before You Die - sorry 1001ers!).

Here is the list for The Ancient Near East

Gilgamesh
Egyptian Book of the Dead
Holy Bible (King James Version)
The Apocrypha
Sayings of the Fathers (Pirke Aboth)

Once my Norton Critical Edition of The Epic of Gilgamesh arrives in the mail, I will own all of these. :)

I'll post reviews soon!

>134 streamsong: Hi Janet! I've never been too thrilled with reality TV. It doesn't even give me a pleasurable feeling of guilty me-time.

>135 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda!

>136 Deern: Hi Nathalie! Yes, reality TV certainly counts as advanced language studies. :D Lots of interesting colloquialisms, right?

I like your completed-to-acquired ratio. :D

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness February 27th

I was happy that my fever broke the night before so I was feeling much more perky, albeit not entirely better.

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness February 28th

I got to spend some time with my boyfriend Joel and his kids, we attempted to play Cranium - which was too advanced for them - and then some Pandemic and Carcassonne, which turned out to be pretty fun.

Happy Sunday, Rachel! We've played Pandemic before. That is the one with all the disease outbreaks, right?

>140 Ape: Hi Stephen! You should see the books I ordered but haven't received yet. I went a bit crazy this weekend. :)

I just realized that should have been a monthly update rather than a weekly one! I'll do a monthly one now.

>142 msf59: Hi Mark! Yes, Pandemic has disease outbreaks - four of them. We had to name them all for the sake of the 9-year old. She insisted. :)

It's a fun game and I like the fact, that everyone plays it as a team.

February Update

Completed



Acquired



Currently Slogging Through

Ha! Now look at THOSE ratios Stephen. Much more balanced.

>145 msf59: Yeah, Mark, I really enjoy cooperative games.

Media #14 / Book #10: Daughter of Smoke and bone, by Laini Taylor

Reason for reading: This is the March choice for my RL Book Club

Summary: Karou has lived a double life for as long as she can remember. On Earth, she pretends to be a normal girl who pretends to be...something more. With her family she is....but what is she?

Review: I don't think I was in the mood for another teen supernatural romance right about now. So I think my rating is a bit lower than it should be. Regardless, I think this was a unique storyline with a romance that was deeper than your normal love-at-first-sight teen urban fantasies. A good story if you're in the mood for teen romance. The ending was a bit cliff-hangerish, though.

Media #15 / Book #11: Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen, narrated by Juliet Stevenson

Reason for reading: Felt like it

Summary: Elinor and Marianne Dashwood struggle through romantic hardships, the death of their father, and their removal from their childhood home in this classic story. It's a satire of sensibilities.

Review: This is my favorite of Austen's books - yes, even more so than Pride and Prejudice. I just felt like listening to it as I've never tried it in that format. Juliet Stevenson did a fantastic job of narration.

Media #16 / Book #12: The Rogue Knight, by Brandon Mull

Reason for reading: Second book in a series by my favorite young readers' author

Summary: Cole's adventure with his new friends continues as they rush to rescue Princess Honor. They meet with a rogue knight.

Review: I'm a bit biased towards all of Brandon Mull's books, but this one was not a disappointment. Mull's world is creative - even more so because there are 5 completely separate kingdom creations in this story. Of course, his creatures are all created by him rather than used from standard myths and fairy tales, making for a refreshing story. Looking forward to the next in the series.

13 is a fair number of books to slog through, Rachel - good luck with that.

Nice to see that Saturday was a good one with boyfriend and his kids; hope Sunday brings more of the same. xx

>150 The_Hibernator: I own the first book in that series, but haven't read it yet. I'll have to keep your recommendation of it in mind.

Rachel, I am finally getting caught up here. I continue to be fascinated by your DBT class updates but do make sure to take time for yourself. Fainting at work is worrisome, although obviously you were suffering from an ailment if you have had a fever. Glad to see the news that the fever has broken.

Woot! 5* for Sense and Sensibility a la Juliet Stevenson! I have this one, Rachel, and will eventually listen to it. I've read the book, now I want the Stevenson version.

>151 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul!

>152 foggidawn: Worth it, especially if you're a Mull fan.

>153 lkernagh: Yes, Lori, I think my stress played a large role in my fainting the other day. I need to reduce my stress by finding a job more suited to my personality.

>154 lit_chick: Yeah, I really liked Juliet Stevenson's narration. I'm thinking of buying her narration of Mansfield Park to participate in the tutored read that's going on.

Speaking of which, I just posted this on the group read thread:

Is there a general tutored read thread? I can't find one anywhere. I know this is totally a long-shot, but I was wondering if anybody wanted to do a group read or tutored read of any of these works:

Epic of Gilgamesh
Egyptian Book of the Dead
Holy Bible - there's probably a whole group somewhere on LT that's doing this, but all I can find is a group in Club Reads on which I'd have to catch up. I can certainly join with them if they continue.

Likewise, if anyone's interested in fairy tales, I'm reading Andrew Lang's fairy books and would be happy to have company on that task. :) I've started (and am about half-way through) The Grey Fairy Book.

*waving* at Rachel

Lots to digest here!

Your happiness entries remind me of an exercise I did for several years--still do it now but not as 'consciously'. You know how easy it is, if you take more or less the same walk every day (which I do, with my dog) to stop noticing anything? Well, I felt that was how I was. That it didn't 'count' unless I saw something really dramatic. So I made myself write down what I noticed when I got home and lo and behold, realized that every walk I saw SOMETHING and even something rather remarkable! It suddenly became difficult to decide what to pick out! A spiderweb, frost on a branch, the sound of the stream burbling. Really everything! But generally, if I let it percolate, I find there is one thing especially that stands out. Happiness might be somewhat like that? A matter of a wider awareness or something? I don't mean the "I should be happy because I have a place to live, food to eat, not in pain,etc." kind of appreciation but appreciation of being able to perceive at all. It's amazingly hard work to keep that in mind!

I'm a huge fan of Stephen Batchelor writes about Zen stuff. I think I got the idea for that exercise there.

>156 alcottacre: Hi Stasia!

>157 sibylline: Hi Lucy. Yes, that is a mindfulness exercise that is very similar to my mindfulness exercise about happiness. It's so nice that you discovered something remarkable every time you went out once you started that exercise!

Rachel's reasons for happiness March 1st

Again, I'm happy about all my fellow volunteers and staff members at the crisis hotline. :) I also had a wonderful, relaxing day in which lots was read.

>159 The_Hibernator: Glad you had a good day but I will say it seems a bit odd to have a relaxing day at a crisis hotline. Not what you expect in the job description anyway.

:) Well, the relaxing day didn't really take place at the crisis hotline - I'm only there for a three hour shift on Sunday nights (I'm a little late posting my happiness for yesterday). Though I have to admit, I did get lots of LT threads visited while I was at the crisis center, which is a good indication that the shift went pretty calmly. That's good for everyone involved.

Health update

I had to go home early from work again today, so I broke down and went to the doctor. I get a battery of blood tests and a Holter monitor to watch my heart for the next couple of days (this because they claim my pulse was 50 - I find that hard to believe).

*Hugs*
Hope you can take it easy and rest until things are looking better!

I'd tutor you except really, it would be the blind leading the blind..ha!

I'll admit, Max Lucado is one of my favourite authors. I know his writing can be fluffy and airy fairy at times, but there is something really comforting about him. Maybe it's because when I was new to my faith, he wrote in a way that was understandable and resonated with me. :)

Sorry, to hear about the low heart-rate. Will they give you medication for that?

I hope you'll feel better soon. It's good that your heart rate is monitored so you'll know what is and can get the right treatment. L&h xx

Sorry to hear you had to go home from work again. I hope they can figure out what's wrong.

In your currently reading list I've had The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions on my wishlist for a while. I've read some fo Wright's books before but none of Borg's (although again some of his books are on my wishlist) so I'll be interested in your thoughts.

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been absent. Been feeling a bit puny lately.

>163 jolerie: Hi Valerie. I've never read anything by Max Lucado, though I have a few books of his on my to-acquire list. Is there one you would recommend especially?

>164 msf59: Hi Mark. I don't know what they plan on doing about my low heart rate right now. First, they'll take a look at what the heart monitor has recorded for the past 48 hours. I'm sort of hoping for some sort of diagnosis, so that I can get better, but I'd rather not have something serious wrong with my heart!

>165 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! As I said above, I hope nothing's wrong with my heart, but we'll see!

>166 souloftherose: Thanks Heather. I'm seriously enjoying The Meaning of Jesus, and I'd highly recommend reading it. I haven't actually read anything by Marcus Borg or N.T. Wright before - I'm going to have to say that Borg's narrative is lighter and easier to follow, but I'm liking them both. I plan on getting more books by each of them.

Rachel's Reasons for happiness March 5th

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted happiness. But I've been feeling puny, as I said above. Things to be happy about today - I'm really happy that my coworkers, employees, and boss are so understanding of my poor health. I'm happy that my nephew had a wonderful birthday this weekend - apparently his step-father took him out on Saturday and Sunday and then threw a paint-ball party for him on Monday.

I'm also happy that I found someone to read The Epic of Gilgamesh with. Group read thread!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/188648

Rachel's Reasons for Happiness March 6th

Today I'm happy that I'm feeling a lot better than I have been. :) I'm excited that my Norton Critical Edition of The Epic of Gilgamesh has arrived. And I'm over-joyed that I received an email requesting a phone interview for a job! YAY! I emailed back with my availability pretty quickly, but she didn't answer. I'll have to wait until Monday to find out when the interview is, I suppose. But still. YAY!

>170 The_Hibernator: YAY! What's the job?

I'm glad you're feeling better! Fingers crossed about the job interview!

Rachel, I wish you a lovely weekend.

>171 qebo: Hi Katherine! The job is a "biorepository technician" for the non-profit organization Be The Match. It's the company that finds bone marrow donors for people in need, and it would be really exciting to work for a company that has the same values as I do. As for what a biorepository technician does...I'd guess I'm probably "typing" cells from cheek swabs. Not the most exciting job in the world, but much better than being the manager of housekeepers at a nursing home. I'd be SO excited to be back in my field again.

>172 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie! In the past I've been a fairly good interviewee, and I know that I'm highly qualified for this job so I'm feeling positive about it right now.

>173 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! You too!

>174 The_Hibernator: Oh that sounds interesting (as well as socially valuable). Maybe not on a day to day level initially, but with potential. Best wishes for the interview!

I have my fingers crossed for your job interview, Rachel!

>175 qebo: Thanks Katherine! Yes, it definitely has potential, and I'm very excited for the interview.

>176 lkernagh: Thanks Lori!

Weekly Update

Book Completed


Books Acquired

Media #17 / Book #13 / Mt TBR #4: The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol, by Nikolai Gogol; translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

Reason for reading: Gogol's short stories are in Harold Bloom's Western Canon list. Of the 1524 books on the list, I have now read 55 - which isn't very impressive, I'll grant you. :p

Summary: This is a complete collection of Gogol's short stories, separated into sections for his Ukranian stories and his Russian stories, which were written during different times in his life. The Ukranian stories tended to be much more folklore than his Russian stories.

Review: I can't really say how well these stories were translated, but I CAN say that the annotations were very helpful. I'm glad I picked up this translation. I enjoyed the Russian stories a lot more than the Ukranian stories, because the seemed more whimsical in their satire. The folklore of the Ukranian stories was interesting, though.

Rachel's Reasons for happiness March 8th

Today I'm happy that the weather has warmed up so much. Yay for 46 degrees! :D

ETA: PS Still really excited about the upcoming job interview, too.

I am happy for post #180 too! B.A.G.!!

We had 60 F today! Glad for you that you got to 46 F! That is rather lovely for you! We've switched over to Daytime savings here and I love the longer days! Best wishes on the job interview. Always unnerving, I would think - not to worry you.

>181 msf59: Thanks Mark!

>182 vancouverdeb: Yes, Deborah, 46 is lovely. There are people strolling about in the night-time warmth, and I'm sitting her at the crisis text center listening to the staff RAVE about the weather non-stop.

Thanks for the wishes on the job interview! They are unnerving, especially phone interviews when I can't see the interviewer's face. But I'm trying to be optimistic about it. :)

Rachel, great news about the interview! (and the warmer weather :-) )

Hi Rachel! I've seen you post in a lot of the threads I follow, so I thought I'd look you up.

Good luck with the Be the Match interview. I have a Be the Match kit lying around somewhere that I totally forgot to send back :(

>180 The_Hibernator: Warmer weather is definitely a reason to celebrate just as cooler weather for me would be. xx

Great news about the interview, Rachel! Break a leg!!

Hooray for the job interview! Good luck...I am sure you will wow them.

Rachel, that's great that you are having a job interview in your field. Good luck! Did you ever find out more about your heart rate? I thought a low HR was a good thing. Are you a runner? My husband's rate is really low due to that.

I am going to take another look at my Western Canon. Lots of "old" books as I recall. I like the setup of 1001 Books better because of the pretty pictures of the book covers. That shows you how shallow I am!

Sorry Rachel that it has taken me this long to get back to you! So many crazy happenings on my end.
I take a quicks scan of my shelves and let you know later which of the Lucado books that I've read and enjoyed!

Good luck with the interview as well!

Weekly Update

Completed



Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: does happiness lead to success. Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 803–55.

Acquired

Thanks Susan, Amber, Kriti, Rhonda, Donna, and Valerie. The interview went pretty well. I'm hopeful for a second (real-life) interview.

>185 kgodey: Hi Kriti! Thanks for stopping by my thread. I hope you find your kit...but you could always order another if you can't. ;)

>186 PaulCranswick: Too true, Paul.

>189 Donna828: Donna, it turns out there's nothing wrong with my heart that they could find. That's not particularly surprising. I've never had heart problems in the past. I was instead diagnosed with "undertreated anxiety." Ha! How else do I treat my anxiety other than going to therapy 4 times a week and taking anxiety meds?! Undertreated indeed. :p

Yeah, pretty pictures do help a lot, but I'm such a big fan of the classics... Or at least I try to be!

>190 jolerie: No rush Valerie. I'm really trying to reduce the rate of book purchases anyway. :)

Weekly update personal

Well, this was another week where I spent a lot of time in bed and didn't get much reading done. Hopefully I'll get another job soon, and my "undertreated anxiety" will go away. Because, yeah, in case you didn't read my comment to Donna above, it turns out I fainted because of nothing more than "undertreated anxiety." I guess I'm a psychosomatic drama queen now. ;)

The phone interview was today, and it went well - as far as I could tell. I'm in high hopes of a second interview. Keep the good vibes coming! Thanks for all your support so far this week! She also let me know about another job opening that she said would really fit my qualifications. That was really helpful of her. :)

There was one really difficult day in there. My friend found his dad dead on his driveway on Wednesday. Apparently he'd had a heart attack. I spent Wednesday evening with my friend and his family as they mourned the sudden loss. :(

Wow. That was a bummer. I should end with something happier.

Rachel's Reasons for happiness March 13th

I'm really happy that my interview went well today, and that I got to spend some time with my friend Kari shopping for books and drinking coffee. I'm also happy that I got to spend the work-day washing windows - which turns out to be back-breaking work, but it was still nice to be outside.

Undertreated anxiety..... That is what they came up with as a diagnosis?! That sounds about as 'helpful' as the medical diagnosis my other half has received so far or his bad sore throat. They took a swap and have ruled out strep and that is all they have done. When asked further, they just shrug their shoulders and say he has a viral infection. Whatever he has, it is nasty and not going away very quickly but I guess I should be happy they have at least ruled out strep.

{{{Hugs}}}

Glad to read the phone interview has happened and you feel it went well. I continue to keep my fingers crossed for this job for you, Rachel!

NCE Introduction, by Benjamin R. Foster:

Who Was Gilgamesh? Gilgamesh is a legendary king of Uruk (a city which was located on the Euphrates, near the Persian Gulf - see image, which was taken from my Penguin edition not the NCE). Gilgamesh is credited with building the famous city walls - fragments of which are still visible today. Some fragments of these walls date back to 2700 B.C.E., so this may be when Gilgamesh lived if he is a historical person.

What is the Epic of Gilgamesh? Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving epic, even older than the Old Testament of the Bible. It is Mesopotamian in origin. Unlike other epics, Gilgamesh is thought to have originated as a literary document, rather than as an oral tradition. The epic was thought to be studied by a very small educated elite. The older versions - the newest and longest of which is called the "standard version," dating from seventh century B.C.E. - contains fragments of a story spanning 11 tablets. The NCE translation is mostly based on the standard version. Authorship of the 11 tablet version is attributed to Sin-leqe-unninni, a scholar who lived in the second half of the second millennium B.C.E (very specific dates, here).

Translating the Epic of Gilgamesh: Translation of the epic is difficult because of the fragmentary state of the existing tablets. Another barrier is that the story was re-written so many times that there are many variations of the story on the various tablets available for translation. Therefore, any translation of the story is a unique creation of the translator.



ETA: This is a post I made on the Epic of Gilgamesh group read thread, but I thought I'd share it with those of you who read my thread. :)

Media #18 / Book #14: The Daughter of Highland Hall, by Carrie Turansky

Reason for reading: This is March's choice for the ACFW bookclub. I'm leading the discussion.

Summary: Kate wants nothing more than to marry a rich, titled young man who has the means for her to live as she is used to from her childhood. But when she "comes out" more gracelessly than she'd hoped she realizes that perhaps there is more to happiness than money and a title.

Review: This was a sweet romance with a lot of interesting side stories going on. In most ways it's your typical Christian romance with lots of interspersed prayers and spiritual enlightenment of characters - but it refrained from preachy passages, which I appreciate.

>194 lkernagh: Thanks Lori! Yes, I tend to avoid going to doctors unless I have to for that very reason - they will test for some "obvious" things, then if you don't test positive for that they come up with a blanket diagnosis (e.g. "virus" or "anxiety") which is unhelpful and basically says "I really don't know what's wrong with you, just tough it out and see what happens. Come back if the symptoms stay X number of weeks."

I really hope the interview went as well as I felt it did. Of course, I'm starting to doubt myself now that it's over and I have to wait an entire week before I find out if I get the second (in-person) interview.

Good to hear the interview went well, even if you are in doubt now. A week is a long time to wait.

>192 The_Hibernator: Rachel, the ones of his that I've read and recorded are When God Whispers Your Name, The Great House of God and He Still Moves Stones. I think The Great House of God stands out the most for me as he breaks down The Lord's Prayer and makes it really accessible to each person. Over all I remember getting teary eyed while reading his books because for me he seems to be able to convey the love of God for each person in a really connecting way. Anyways, I know what you mean about having more than enough books to read. They are always there when you need a little pick me up. ;)

>193 The_Hibernator: Well, not that there is anything wrong with being a psychosomatic drama queen, but I hope you know that you aren't one! Anxiety is a real illness.

Fingers crossed for the new job.

>193 The_Hibernator:, >194 lkernagh:, >197 The_Hibernator: Yeah, I had a truly horrible mystery illness a couple years ago, and what one doctor told me is that there really aren’t many things they can definitively test for; so throw antibiotics at it if it might be bacterial, or wait it out if it’s viral. This was a sympathetic doctor, not dismissive, acknowledging limitations. I guess “undertreated anxiety” means something like: the tests don’t indicate anything obvious, you’ve reported anxiety, therefore it’s a thing to grab hold of as a plausible explanation...

I suppose you’re still waiting for interview results.

>198 connie53: Hi Connie! Thanks for the well-wishes about the interview.

>199 jolerie: Thanks for the list Valerie. The one I have in audio (and haven't read yet) is In the Grip of Grace, I'll probably start with that one first, and then move on to his others afterwards. But it's good to have a list to go off of.

>200 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. I know anxiety is a real illness, trust me. But sometimes because there's so much stigma about mental illness it's easy to forget that. Thanks for the reminder.

>201 qebo: Honesty is the best key, Katherine. Though I imagine that's not what some patients want to hear!

Personal Update
Yes, my phone interview last Friday went well, but I'm still waiting to hear back about an in-person interview. She said it would be a week, so I'll email her over the weekend and ask about the progress. In the mean-time, I had ANOTHER interview on the telephone for a much better job at the same company. This interview also went well, and I have an in-person interview scheduled for Monday morning. Wish me luck!

As for dating, I broke up with my boyfriend last week. I'm still sort of hoping we'll work out the issue (which was that we never see each other because he goes to 3 AA meetings every evening), but I've decided to try out the internet dating thing in the interim. Doesn't hurt to see what else is out there - it might solidify that I want to work things out with Joel, or I might find someone else that suits me better. Likelihood of that happening quickly is small, though.

I actually met a really great guy who even geeked out with me about which translation of Epic of Gilgamesh I should read. He would have been really fun to date, only his body type was much, much different than mine - and I'm afraid I need someone with the same life-style as myself. I really admire people who are able to date / marry those that are of a very different body-type, and I wish I were less superficial - but what can I do? Attraction is important.

I already had one date. It didn't go well. He insisted that the company 3M could make any body part to the point where we should be able to make bionic people. I pointed out that 3M couldn't make a brain, and it was unlikely that they would be able to anytime soon. In fact, I imagined it was impossible to do so - at least to do so while creating a unique individual with "soul." He got angry that I disagreed with him. So, that was the end of him! Who wants a guy that I can't even disagree with?! That made me appreciate my ex-boyfriend Joel better.

I have another date on Saturday night, and one more on Monday evening. So, exciting stuff.

Hi Rachel, I've finally got time to visit your thread. I wish you a lovely weekend.

>202 The_Hibernator:
A better job with a sooner interview sounds promising.

He got angry that I disagreed with him

Maybe he has a 3M brain and it limits his imagination.

You go girl! Two different jobs in the hopper and dates! I would have taken your position in the 3M conversation so maybe it is a good things that differences are cropping up early in your dates. Better sooner than later.

Happy Saturday, Rachel. Hope the interview process works out well and good luck on the dating front. I am so glad I haven't had to deal with that in a couple of decades. Whew!
Just make sure he is a reader!!

Good luck with the interviews, Rachel.

I agree with Mark. Books are a deal breaker!
Unless of course he fully supports it, then it's worth considering at least. ;)

>203 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara!

>204 qebo: Maybe he has a 3M brain and it limits his imagination.

Probably. That would explain why he was so insulted. :)

>205 lkernagh: Yeah, Lori, I think it's best that it happened in the first date. Good to know it won't work out from the beginning!

>206 msf59: Hi Mark! The guy I'm going out on a date with tonight reads a lot of book snobbery books, which is fine by me. And the guy that I'm going out with on Monday is mostly a non-fiction reader. Both good candidates. It feels really weird going out with so many guys in a week, but I decided that this time I'd do some shopping around instead of just picking someone and sticking to him. I'm sure if I find the right guy, the rest of them will melt away. It's kind of fun - at least THIS week it's fun. But that might be the novelty of it.

>207 jolerie: Thanks Valerie! I'm really hoping for this job on Monday. :D

Hi Rachel! Good luck with the job interview! And the dates!

Good luck with the job-hunting and the dating!

Adding my "Good luck with the interview and the dates!" :)

Woohoo, Rachel! No shortage of action in your life! Hope you get the job you want … you deserve! Enjoy your "shopping" adventure, too : ).

Good luck with the interviews AND the dating, Rachel!

Good luck with the jobs and the dates. I know internet dating can be really difficult sometimes. My BFF is a girl that does that and she has found that it's best to go on dates as soon as possible and act on the first impression a man makes. She failed to do that with her last friend. They were in a very tiresome relationship for 2 years. And she told me she felt in the beginning this was not the right guy for her but tried to make it work because she can't stand being on her own! Not a good reason!

Hi Rachel, I hope you had a very interesting week with your datings. I wish you a most lovely weekend.

Thanks Carrie, Rhonda, Kriti, Nancy, Connie, and Barbara!

I've been absent because of real life for a while. Will give an update on the new thread!